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墨書 Inktalez
No matter which relative or friend is doing well, one should never feel jealous; it brings no benefit and can easily harm relationships.
On the third day of the Lunar New Year, Hu Ruoyun's family gathered again at her grandmother and grandfather's home, along with Second Aunt and her younger aunt.
After some events over the past six months, Zhang Yang's younger aunt had become much more reserved. Upon arriving at the maternal family's doorstep, she set down the large bags of New Year gifts, tied on an apron, and joined her sisters-in-law and older sisters in the kitchen, busily preparing food without uttering any of those trivial "nonsense" remarks.
When it came time to distribute the red envelopes, her enthusiasm was palpable as she handed out crisp new five-yuan bills (from the third series of Renminbi) to Chunsheng and Chuncao, saying, "Take these! San Gu has made up for the last two years!"
This delighted her little nephew and niece immensely.
This year, during the wheat harvest, autumn gathering, and winter wheat planting, Sister-in-law drove a tractor loaded with all necessary equipment. Second Brother-in-law and Brother-in-law Three also came over, working harder than ever before but saving plenty of effort. Additionally, Sister-in-law had repaid part of the debts owed to each family, especially those owed to her father-in-law. Hu Ruoyun's aunt-in-law finally felt a weight lifted from her heart... With no distractions or worries, her perspective broadened, and this New Year was filled with smiles and joy.
This time, the entire family gathered together in a way that had never happened before—harmonious and joyful.
The men drank two full bottles of liquor, even Hu Ruoyun's grandfather had indulged a bit too much.
As they were leaving, Hu Ruoyun's mother Zhao Meirong quietly slipped a hundred yuan into her mother's waistband.
Though Grandma tried to refuse it, Zhao Meirong insisted, "Just take it! Buy whatever you want with your father; don’t hold back. Chunsheng and Chuncao are here; buy them whatever they need... The family is doing better now!"
Can one really say there are unfilial children? Perhaps there are some, but we have reason to believe that in this era, most "unfilial" behavior is driven by life's pressures.
In the Records of the Grand Historian: "When granaries are full, one knows etiquette; when clothing and food are sufficient, one knows honor and disgrace." Doesn’t this convey a similar meaning?
As the tractor drove off into the distance, Hu Ruoyun could still see her grandmother wiping her eyes with her sleeve, but this time it was definitely not out of sadness.
Theoretically speaking, after the Spring Festival, Hu Ruoyun would turn sixteen years old; according to rural customs, she would be considered seventeen.
On the sixth day of the Lunar New Year, Hu Ruoyun's fifth-grade homeroom teacher Shao Jianguo paid a visit.
teacher Shao was there to propose marriage.
According to him, the girl’s family was that of Zhangjiazai’s Party Secretary from Pingbei Township; her name was Zhang Meina. She was the same age as Hu Ruoyun and possessed both looks and stature. Currently attending Annan County Experimental High School alongside Hu Ruoyun, they were in the same graduating class.
He even brought out a group photo from their middle school graduation in 1990 and pointed to a tall girl in bright clothing with short hair in the back row saying, "Qihua Ge and Qihua Sao, look at this girl—Zhang Meina."
teacher Shao also mentioned that Zhang’s family had a son named Zhang Ling who graduated from Jiangbei University and stayed in the provincial capital; he was now an assistant director at a neighborhood office in South District.
teacher Shao briefly explained Hu Ruoyun's situation to Zhang Party Secretary while emphasizing her "outstanding talent," omitting details about her height or average looks or family conditions.
teacher Shao and Zhang Party Secretary were classmates from years ago; as the saying goes: "One generation of classmates brings three generations of kinship." Since it was an old classmate making introductions, there was certainly no ill intent toward his own daughter. They agreed that both families could get to know each other first.
Zhao Meirong and Hu Qihua expressed some concerns: "Uncle, our family's conditions can't compare..."
teacher Shao patted his chest confidently: "That doesn’t matter! My classmate said it’s mainly about how the children are doing. Our Hu Ruoyun will definitely be fine in the future; right now it's just about getting acquainted so you can have an idea."
"The main thing people care about is still Hu Ruoyun," someone remarked.
Who doesn’t have a sense of vanity?
To become in-laws with the village cadre would mean a change in the Hu family's reputation. Moreover, there was also an older brother working in the Provincial Capital. Zhao Meirong and Hu Qihua had no reason to refuse, and they immediately agreed. They even wanted Hu Ruoyun to dress up and take a photo at the Township photo studio for Shao Jianguo.
Shao Jianguo said, "No need to take a new one; the latest issue of Story Collection has a photo of Hu Ruoyun. I've already shown it to them."
Since Hu Ruoyun's work, "Humanity's Forbidden Island," began serialization in Story Collection, it received a good response. Many readers wrote to the Editorial Department, wanting to know more about the author. The editor wrote a letter to Hu Ruoyun, discussing the situation and specifically included a "creative" suggestion regarding photos. Thus, a photo of Hu Ruoyun "lost in thought" was born.
In the photo, Hu Ruoyun sat under a grape trellis, with a stone table in front of her. On the table were a cup of tea and a pen lying across a stack of manuscript paper. Holding a book, Hu Ruoyun appeared deep in thought...
For this photo, Shaoying put in considerable effort, changing the scenery and outfits countless times. They even invited a hairstylist from Township, who was said to have trained in Jiangcheng, to style her hair: it was parted in the latest fashion, blow-dried, and set with mousse. She wore a white shirt, a vest, and a small suit jacket; without looking at her face, she could almost be mistaken for one of the Four Heavenly Kings!
Once the photo was developed, even Hu Ruoyun felt that she looked quite "stylish" in it.
Later on, this photo was enlarged and framed by both Shaoying's studio and the hairstylist's salon called "Looking Back," where it was displayed as a "model."
In reality, whether from her family background or her own circumstances, Hu Ruoyun felt inferior but deeply yearned for recognition...
On the sixteenth day of the first month of 1992 according to the Lunar Calendar, all primary and secondary schools reopened.
Hu Ruoyun returned to school; life continued as usual. Her studies remained steady—not particularly impressive but not declining significantly either.
Playing basketball with Mao Jie, she noticed he didn’t seem very happy.
"What’s bothering you?" she asked him.
Pulling her to a corner of the court, Mao Jie replied, "My dad is always frowning; it makes our whole family unhappy..."
It turned out that two projects in Gaoqiao Town, the "White Project" and the "Modern Commercial Street Development," had either failed or been abandoned, leading to negative repercussions in the county. With no new development ideas on short notice, Mao Weiguo had been appointed under pressure.
Last year's ranking saw Gaoqiao Town drop seven places! The current pressure on Mayor Mao was immense.
During this time, county leaders continuously pointed out that Gaoqiao Town was experiencing "slow economic development!" and that "the governing team's capabilities needed improvement!"
Such evaluations left Mayor Mao restless.
In January, the county's Business Bureau announced its investment attraction targets for the year: an overall goal of 80 million yuan for the entire county, with 3 million allocated to Gaoqiao Town!
This only added to Mayor Mao's worries.
His mood affected his entire family.
Whether for Mao Jie or Sister Mona, as someone who had been through similar experiences, Hu Ruoyun wanted to help Mayor Mao!
He desperately tried to think about what achievements Annan County had made in terms of "foresight," hoping to "borrow" or "adapt" them for Gaoqiao Town and Mayor Mao. Of course, there were no "golden fingers" here; such matters could not be rushed.
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